children

At Ministry Architects, we’ve worked with over 900 churches, and inevitably, this is the most frequently asked question. Over the years, we’ve developed some norms, as we like to call them, for children’s ministries. Really, these numbers are just a way to compare some numbers from your ministry with the same numbers in other churches.

Here are a few important things that you will want to keep in mind as you look at the new norms and compare your numbers with those.

These numbers are an average of the churches we have worked with across the country. Some of these are small churches, some are large, some are urban, suburban, and others are rural.

These numbers are not a clear indicator of health or sustainability in your ministry. It is likely that you may fall far outside of the norms, and still have a thriving ministry. However, if you do fall outside these norms, we would suggest that there are variables that will allow for a healthy ministry outside these norms.

As you look at these numbers, especially the budget numbers, remember that cost of living varies widely across the country. For example, if you are in New York City, you may not be able to run a ministry on the same budget that a church in Bryan, Texas can, but by looking at these norms and comparing them to your own church’s numbers, you can learn how you compare to the national average, and that enables you to have more conversations about your unique needs and circumstances, and make adjustments accordingly.

How We Count Children

If you look at your attendance data, you may see that you have 20 children on an average Sunday attending Sunday school, and then 35 attend children’s choir, but 15 come to worship and don’t participate in either program. At Ministry Architects, we like to count unique faces. That means, if Abby goes to Sunday school and children’s choir every week, we only count her once, but we also want to count Jackson who attends worship, but hasn’t yet attended Sunday school or children’s choir. Any child who participates in the life of the church in some way is included in this number, but we only count them once, no matter how many times they are at the church in a given week.

We have been working with the same norms for the past several years, and recently, raised the question, “Are the norms we are working with outdated?” So, we went to work crunching numbers with more recent data. Here’s what we found:

Children’s Ministry Norms

In children’s ministry, we have been working with four different norms: numbers, budget, staff ratio, and volunteer ratios. As we updated our numbers, two of those norms have changed in the past couple of years.

Percentage of Children in a Worshipping Congregation:

Historically, we have seen an average of 15% of a worshipping congregation. As we looked at current numbers in recent clients’ churches, this number is still accurate. We have seen percentages as low as 7% and as high as 35%, but the average still settles around 15%.

Staff to Children Ratio:

Until recently, we have reported that children’s ministries around the country are typically hiring the equivalent of one full-time staff person for every 75 children. That number has recently changed to show that churches are investing more in their children’s ministry staff. We are seeing the equivalent of one full-time staff member for every 70 children across the country.

Budget:

Budget numbers have increased by about 10% as well. Currently, churches are reporting, on average, that they are investing $1,100 per child per year. That’s an increase of $100 per child per year. This number doesn’t include paid nursery workers or babysitters, but it does include staff salaries and benefits as well as the entire program budget for the year.

Volunteers to Children Ratio:

While we know that every responsible children’s ministry has ratio targets that are different for each age group, we found that the best way for us to name a national norm is to look at the overall volunteer ratio for children from birth through elementary grades. Because churches use different rotation models, we standardized this by looking at the average number of volunteers serving during any given week. That means that whether volunteers are serving once a month or once a week didn’t impact this number. We were simply looking at volunteer attendance numbers and children’s attendance numbers. On average, churches are seeing one volunteer for every five children attending each week.

As you look at these numbers and compare them to your church’s numbers, remember that these numbers are an average of dozens of churches across the country, so many factors will influence why you are close to these or why your numbers vary. Some of the most common variables are cost of living, complexity of programming, number of programs, number of monthly and yearly events, and church culture. If you would like to talk with Ministry Architects about your numbers, shoot us an email at [email protected].

Introduction

It’s a centuries old question – what in the world do we do with children in worship? And the Church is, and always has been, all over the map when it comes to involving children in its worship. I know that in some churches children are always present. In other churches children have their own space while their parents attend “big church” unhindered by the trials and cares of parenthood.

For the sake of this article, though, let’s assume that your church is one of those that has decided that having children present in worship is something of value, but that infants and toddlers will have a full-service nursery, that older preschoolers will attend part of the worship service then move to an extended session in the children’s area, and that elementary children will be full participants in worship.

We need to make this time into something more! We need to make sure that we are giving children something that is uniquely their own and that the Gospel is coming alive for them.

What’s in the Box?

As a pastor I truly valued the children in my church. I wanted to know their names. I wanted them to know that their pastor cared about them and that I thought they were important. I was doing a children’s time but was frankly disappointed that the children were not more engaged… at least until the candy at the end.

I shared that with a close lifelong pastor friend one day when we had escaped the church office and stumbled upon a golf course. It was a beautiful day, just the kind of day when the clouds would part and heaven break forth with a new idea.

“You should give what I’m doing a try. Have you ever tried ‘the box?’” he said, and then he began to describe an idea that would bring new life into my church.

Basically it goes like this:

The first Sunday you introduce the box and give it to a child. (In order to make sure that every child eventually gets a chance, you can pass it along alphabetically by first or last name or by birthday order of those present.)

The child gets to pick what to bring back in the box the next week. (Encourage parents to be involved, but it’s important that the child picks the item.)

The child brings the box back the next week and gets to sit by the pastor as the box is opened. They are SO excited to share whatever they’ve brought!

Then YOU get to come up with a children’s message ON THE SPOT! Some of those will be better than others, but that was always the case anyway.

Of course, I started with a cardboard box, but within a month one of the church grandpas had constructed a magnificent wooden version.

The objects started pretty simple, but by the end of the first year I had …

Caught fuzzy balls with a velcro skull cap on my head,

Jumped up and down on spring loaded shoes,

Been a “snake handler” in church,

Opened a box of golden retriever puppies!

… all while wearing my liturgical robe!

Okay, so yes you’ve got to be a good sport. But if you’re willing to take a little risk, your church’s children will never forget their days of box time and how engaged they were with what happened there.

If “The Box” Sounds Too Scary …

For some folks the box sounds just too terrifying. Well, it’s true – you are indeed “on the spot.” So here are a few ideas to ease the pain if this just sounds too scary:

Occasionally, the box will not return, for one reason or another. You’ll want to have a backup object lesson stored in the pulpit just in case the box gets “lost.” And then make sure to follow up during the coming week.

Sure, there will come that day (or those days) when you really struggle to think of something creative to go with the day’s object. But not to worry – the children and the congregation will love that you tried, and they will have a golden lesson on how to extend grace, even if it is a little at your expense.

There is the off chance that a child could bring something you consider inappropriate. That is why parent involvement is so important. If that prospect is just too scary, you might consider having a preview of the box prior to worship each Sunday. (I consider that to be cheating!)

Conclusion

I love the story of the little four-year-old who became too boisterous in church. His parents (and surrounding worshippers) had finally had enough, and his father had snatched him up and headed up the aisle for a sure reckoning of some sort in the church foyer. But before they reached the door the little boy pleaded, “Pray for me! Pray for me!”

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Ministry Architects is a highly-skilled team of pastors, teachers, executives, youth workers, children's pastors, writers and professors. We're fanatical about success and we can help your church find clear direction and sustained momentum backed up by properly aligned resources.